


Rose Tinted Glasses

by AderaReam



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, F/M, Gen, Mentioned Raven branwen, Pre-Canon, mentioned Glinda Goodwitch, original dog character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 10:31:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16721643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AderaReam/pseuds/AderaReam
Summary: A look at the events just before and after the birth of Ruby Rose, with a bit of a departure from canon.Let it be known that I know nothing about infants and/or child birth, so let's just handwave all that.





	Rose Tinted Glasses

When Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose got married Raven didn’t attend the wedding. Not that anyone was particularly expecting her to, Raven didn’t really do being in public, weddings, happiness, or anything that didn’t involve copious amounts of murder and violence, at least according to her brother.

 

Qrow was there for his friends. And the open bar.

 

The wedding was held in a little forest clearing on the island of Patch. Everyone who lived on the island attended, as well as a fair number of hunters and huntresses. Summer’s maid of honor was Glinda. Qrow agreed to be best man after some heavy persuasion and the use of one year old Yang’s puppy eyes.

 

Speaking of puppies, Tai and Summer’s corgi, Ein, trotted down the aisle after the couple, bearing their rings. The village elder who had agreed to preside over the wedding chuckled along with the crowd as he took the rings and gave them to the couple.

 

Summer turned to Tai. Tai turned to Summer, but couldn’t help glancing down at her stomach, only to be met with a sardonic eyebrow as he met her gaze. Tai flushed and grinned at her. She laughed lightly and smiled back.

 

“Now, Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose will speak their vows together.” Said the elder, before taking a step back and down off of the small dias. 

 

The pair spoke their vows, the vows that had been passed down by hunter couples for as long as humans have hunted grimm, with a few minor changes that had been brought about after the war.

  
  


_ To you I promise: _

_ Life, protection, and color. _

_ Even as we part ways, _

_ Even as we protect those who cannot protect themselves, _

_ I will leave a part of me with you. _

  
  


_ To you I pledge: _

_ Fidelity, confidence, and assistance. _

_ Even when the world seems dark, _

_ Even when the forces surrounding us threaten all we hold dear, _

_ I will be beside you. _

  
  


_ To you I vow: _

_ Family, Love, and Home. _

_ Even if our feelings fade, _

_ Even if our home seems irreparably broken. _

_ I will stay committed to you. _

  
  


_ Through this world we walk _

_ As we live our fragile lives _

_ Let this promise, pledge, and vow be, _

_ Never to walk alone, _

_ Never to fight alone, _

_ Never to live or die alone, _

_ Never again to be alone. _

  
  


The audience cheered as the pair sealed their vows with a kiss. Qrow gave a wolf whistle that was only drowned out by Glinda’s scolding. The newlyweds smiled at each other and led everyone away to an adjacent clearing, where the reception had already been set up.

 

Everyone ate and danced and in some cases very drunkenly sang the night away, and in the morning, Tai and Summer made their way to their new home and their new life. And their daughter, which Tai had left with a babysitter for the wedding and reception as Yang was a notoriously fussy baby.

Summer picked up her new daughter and hummed a little tune as she rocked her in her arms. Tai paid the kid who was babysitting and sent her on home before coming up to his wife and daughter.

 

“Hello little Yang.” He cooed pulling funny faces at his infant daughter.

 

Yang shrieked with laughter and babbled at him waving her arms around and nearly smacking Summer in the face with her little fist. Ein barked in response to Yang and jumped up, trying to get a closer look at her. Summer knelt down so that Ein could see, and he immediately started licking Yang’s hair into little yellow spikes.

 

“She,” Summer giggled “She looks like a little sun!”

 

Tai joined in the laughter, but Yang didn’t think it was so great, apparently, as she started wailing.

 

“Oh no.” Tai blanched, scooping up his daughter and taking her out of range of the dog’s tongue.

 

Summer was still giggling on the floor, absentmindedly playing with Ein, while Tai took Yang into the bathroom to fix her hair. Only when it was all in order did she stop shrieking like a Banshee.

 

“Hair all in order?” Summer said from where she was leaning against the doorway.

 

“Just right.” Tai agreed.

 

~~~~~

 

Six months passed in the blink of an eye as the Xiao Long-Rose household found their own rhythm.

 

Summer was grumpy about her pregnancy for being painful and keeping her away from hunting.

 

“I don’t know how Raven managed it.” She sighed, flopped over their bed like a starfish. “She’s even worse about hunting than I am and I’m about to go crazy from having nothing to do.”

 

“I’m pretty sure Raven was hunting until her seventh or eighth month.” Tai said from the foot of the bed where he was rubbing one of his wife’s feet. “It was only when I managed to beat her in a fight that she conceded to stay in bed.”

 

“You fought her?” Summer’s head popped up, incredulousness plain on her face before she sank back down in bed moaning in pain at another cramp.

 

“It was the only way to prove to her she was off her game.” Tai shrugged. “I won when I was trying my best not to hurt her or Yang, she had to listen.”

 

“Yeah, that would do it.” Summer agreed. “Did she ever forgive you for that?”

 

“Who knows if Raven ever forgives anything.” Tai replied.

 

Summer chuckled. Then she grimaced. “Great, I think I pissed myself again.”

 

“Uh, no?” Tai sat up, alarmed. “I think your water just broke.”

 

“What?” Summer yelled, sitting up. Tai helped her, got her sitting back against the pillows he hastily piled up against the headboard. “It’s too early! She’s not supposed to be here for another month!”

 

“Yes, well, it seems that she’s decided on now instead of later.” Tai tried to remain calm as he scrambled for his scroll with one hand while keeping hold of his wife’s with the other. “Hello, Marie? Yes, the baby seems to be coming now.”

 

The birth was a long, painful process for both parents. Doctor Marie Lynn could only do so much, but assured them that her assistant, Archie, was bringing in all the necessary equipment to help with a premature baby. Still, the labor was intense. Summer broke her husband’s hand fourteen hours in, and he had to leave to get it set. When he returned, the baby still wasn’t out. Tai was running himself ragged trying to keep his wife hydrated and breathing steadily, and conscripting a panicked Qrow when he showed up at the house.

 

Finally, finally, the end of the nightmare was heralded by a piercing wail from the bedroom. Tai and Qrow fairly collapsed in relief before rushing back into the room to see her. Summer was unconscious when they got there, having passed out after she had passed the afterbirth.

 

May was in the corner, washing off the baby. “If you will let me take some measurements quickly, you’ll be able to hold her.” She said, throwing the men a tired smile over her shoulder. “But your little girl looks remarkably healthy. Let me just see…”

 

Tai sighed and went over to sit by his sleeping wife. Qrow lurked tiredly in a corner of the room and watched May intensely.

 

“Well, she seems to be just fine. You will have to take a bit of care as she is premature, but like I said she’s remarkably healthy so I doubt there will be too many issues. I’ll come back in four months for a follow up and to give her some shots that she’ll need. Congratulations, Tai.” May said, handing a little red bundle over to him.

 

Tai thanked her absentmindedly. He didn’t even notice when May and Archie left. He barely registered whe Qrow left and only could be drawn out of his exhausted stupor by the sound of an excited Yang stomping her way over to the bed.

 

Big lilac eyes stared at him and the baby in his arms with undisguised awe and excitement. Yang immediately began babbling to her little sister, mostly consisting of ‘sister’ and ‘play’ and ‘little’. She was gripping on to the edge of the blanket tightly, but was remarkably careful when it came to touching her sister or her dad’s broken hand.

 

“Name?” Yang asked, looking to her dad.

 

“Her name is Ruby, Yang. Ruby Rose.”

 

~~~~~

 

Four months really wasn’t enough time to recover all of the lost sleep, but it was enough time to settle into a new routine.

 

After the fifth night in a row of finding Yang sleeping on the floor beside her sister’s crib along with Ein, Summer and Tai gave in and moved Yang’s bed into the nursery. All of Yang’s other stuff, specifically the things that made noise that could disturb Ruby, were left in her room. Ruby had very, very good hearing.

 

Ruby spent her time crying, eating, and grabbing at everything she could get her tiny hands on. Yang found this out the hard way when her sister caught a fistful of her hair. No one in the house escaped unscathed.

 

So, Tai and Summer developed a schedule for who would take care of Ruby or Yang and when, and Yang developed a habit of asking for her hair to be put in a ponytail. Ein was Ruby’s longsuffering companion who had quite a bit less fur now than he had had before she was born.

 

Unfortunately, Yang still had a short memory, so she had to be convinced that Doctor Lynn wasn’t going to hurt her sister on purpose before she would allow Ruby out of her sight. Tai stayed outside Marie’s clinic with Yang and Ein while Summer went in with Qrow to get Ruby her first official check up and shots.

 

The pair came out looking grim.

 

“We need to talk, Tai. And we need to call Oz.” Qrow told him.

 

~~~~~

 

The adults put Ruby and Yang down for their naps before retreating to the office to call Ozpin.

“Hello all.” Ozpin said as the call connected. “I must say I’m surprised that your up to calling anyone right now.”

 

“We had to, Professor Ozpin.” Summer said, hands fisted tightly on her knees and hood drawn up.

 

“Call me Oz, please, you are no longer my students.” Oz said, “Now what’s this about?”

 

Tai and Summer looked to Qrow.

 

“It’s the kid, Oz, it’s Ruby,” he sighed, pulling out a flask and taking a swig before letting the hammer fall “She’s got the silver eyes alright, but she’s also blind.”

 

“I see.” Oz said after a lengthy moment of silence. “That does complicate matters.”

 

“We were hoping you could do something?” Tai asked quietly.

 

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the power I once did. I might cause irreparable harm to Ruby, especially if I use magic on a person who is still so young. And, if I gave her sight after she had grown up without it, the sensory overload as well as having to learn an entirely new sense would take an incredible toll on her. As it stands, I’m afraid I can do nothing for her. I’m sorry.” Ozpin said.

 

“Figures.” Qrow said going to take another swig from his flask.

 

Summer took it from him and downed the whole thing in one go. Tai wished he could do the same. And all four of them worried for the fate of the simple soul asleep just a few rooms away.


End file.
